walking by a Lutheran church: a little friendly confrontation

Yesterday I walked by the same Lutheran church (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/08/walking-by-lutheran-church.html) as its small congregation was getting ready for service. I felt weird walking by and looking in through its large glass windows. At some point, I'd considered going to this church for at least one service, but all I can say is that some people can't handle a little friendly confrontation discussing differences in secondary Christian beliefs and/or practices. In the end, I've opted not to visit this church (at least for the time being), to remain curious and to simply continue going to FAPC as originally planned. Said all this, I guess I must emphasize on the following.

1. The clergy in that Lutheran church were welcoming, seemed honest and offered me a place to worship. My comments are by no means an insult or other level of offense to the clergy of such church and/or the church itself.
2. I do respect the ideology of the Lutheran Church although I didn't quite agree with all of it (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/11/walking-by-lutheran-church-born-dead-in.html).
3. I also respect all material written to God, from God, for God by any group of Christians. Of course, this by no means forces me to agree with it all or any of it at all.

Christian individualism

Christianity -- as most religions -- is a social expression of love and worship to the Godhead. Nonetheless, at times, we don't want to be surrounded by other humans and/or other creatures for that matter. Hence we remain as individuals -- away from society, away from others with our faith in one hand and doubting pains in the other. As odd as this concept (personal point of view) may seem, I've done the latter several, especially as I was looking for my faith (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2008/12/confused-no-news-there.html). In this personal search, I've found God several times especially sharing my faith and lack of with friends I've made in church (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-church-friends-unexpected-fellowship.html) and others in and outside the Church environment. Considering this last statement, I wonder if I'd feel as much faith as I've got right now (so immensely little, broken & in doubt) if I were going to another church. I honestly think it could be much less (if any spiritual change if any at all) going somewhere else. Hence I thank the fellows at FAPC for giving me a chance to grow spiritually (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/05/open-letter-to-my-friends-86-weeks.html), not merely intellectually knowing facts about Christianity (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/11/denominational-non-denominational.html) and its comparison to other faith systems (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/07/without-spirit.html & http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/08/quarreling-siblings.html).

Neo-Pagan Christianity

Especially in the environment that I grew up in, Pagan traditions co-existed with Christian (Catholic) ones. I don't simply refer to celebrating the birth of the Christ in December -- whether the Baby Jesus was born in December or some other month as contested by scholars as a possible alteration of the date by the early Church.

There were many superstitions that were incorporated into the Christian (maybe more into the Catholic) practice and doctrine. Maybe this is the true way that religion gets transformed through out time to accommodate Pagan beliefs of the masses.

Whatever the case, the practice of Christianity that I've seen forming around me is somewhat of a Neo-Pagan/Christian doctrine, in which people believe in God but don't trust the Church all the while doing as they please. For example, there are Christians who drink and/or do drugs, sleep around (recreational sex or looking for love) and/or refuse to go to any church (biggest group) all the while believing in God and even praying. This behavior would've been seen as HERETIC and even SATANIC several years ago (before I was born, most likely, great thing about being born after the hippie era). Nowadays this over all behavior's become part of most cultures in the Western world and hence tolerated by the Church.

As a matter of fact, most (99.8%) of the people I know (single, never married, separated or divorced) have been in a sexual relation with someone at least once at some point of their lives. Most of these people are good law-abiding citizens, good people in all. Of course, about more than half of this group have no desire to go to a church of any sort, but still consider themselves Christians or religious (myself included for about thirteen years).

fun & games with Catholic condoms

The Pope's finally given "permission" to the use condoms in order to prevent AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases by male prostitutes (odd example used by the Pope). This also means that all Catholics are now "allowed" to use condoms even the use prevents a pregnancy -- a huge contradiction to prohibition of contraceptives by the Vatican. This has been shocking news for the Church. Some are on favor and of course some oppose -- the same old story. I just see it as a hypocritical move by the Catholic church giving in to a modern society of sexual recreation.

Pope seeks to start debate on condoms and AIDS
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/11/22/apnewsbreak-pope-seeks-debate-condoms-aids-106693935/

This decision from the Vatican came the same day a new drug's expected and hoped to help avoid the transmission of AIDS between gay men.

Study: AIDS Pill Helps Gay Men Avoid HIV Infection
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/11/23/study-aids-pill-helps-gay-men-avoid-hiv-infection/

All of a sudden, homosexuality and AIDS are once again headline news with the Catholic Church in the mix. Now this is surely strange.

welcoming new members

Every church needs to be funded (electricity, gas, etc) and everyone working in a church needs to pay rent and bills (salaries, wages, etc). Hence a church relies on funds received from the congregation. This is perhaps the second reason why churches need members -- the main reason being a common faith and doctrine system.

These members are people who go to a particular church practically every Sunday, help cover costs and participate in various areas of the church willingly and expected to (myself included). This interpretation of what it means to be a member of a church might sound a bit harsh for some, but isn't this what it means to be a Christian in the first place?

Working with new members is often a strange and fondly interesting experience. New members sometimes don't know what to expect of the church (building, congregation, ministries, etc). When I've been asked to help welcoming new members, I've had to sit with them during breakfast (the day they're accepted and introduced as new members of the church) and give them a better idea what the church is and especially what it's not. Most importantly, being a member of a Christian congregation means being part of the Church and the household of God.

By the way, I want to point out that I'm fond of being a Christian and being a member of FAPC. I also thank this church for the opportunities it's given me to be part of the Church and be able serve God.

starting over: pizza diet, the diet of the (un)holy

During some of my toughest times (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/11/starting-over.html), I could only afford a slice or two of pizza and large cup of soda at most. Eating a piece of flat bread with tomato sauce and cheese with carbonated water made me lose lots of weight. Surprisingly I was healthy (thanks God).

Sometimes the worst of times brings the best of something although I'm not sure what. All I know is that it could have been much worse. Maybe that positive "thing" could have been much more if I had been going to a good church to maintain my mind and soul. Maybe it was a call that I might have failed or a test of endurance that I excelled in.

starting over

The whole idea of starting anew penniless scares most people. It's an old and beaten idea that makes me fairly uncomfortable. I've gone through it several times in my adult life and I've got no plans to go through it again (1991, 1993, 1995 & 2003).

Then again, the idea of moving to a new home or getting a new job can be seen as starting a new life. This is how I feel with my recent move to a new apartment and after changing banks. It's a new me -- at least with the same job, same debts, same little money left over from paycheck to paycheck, same old problems and fears.

Of course, the idea of starting over and becoming a truly good person does sound attracting, but I often fall back to my old self. It's hard to unlearn bad habits and be a better person. Maybe I need to hang out much more time in church.

ruthless winter to come: sleeping in ice & snow

Every year, the media and the local government advise that the elderly and children be protected from the cold. They also offer hot-line phone numbers for people to complain if they've got no heat and/or hot water. Of course, there's also the worry of the homeless -- those who sleeping in the cold streets out of no other choice. Shelters are offered as an alternative, which of course can only hold a certain number of people leaving many in the cold. In all, winter in NYC can be brutal and ruthless especially if you're cold with your body heat dropping by the minute and getting numb.

I'm listing some organizations if you care to help or need help.

• Coalition for the Homeless
  http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/
• NYC Department of Homeless Services
  http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/html/home/home.shtml
• New York Homeless Shelters
  http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/newyork.html

What I just wrote above is absolutely nothing unless you've lived through this. Do something. At least, support whatever outreach ministry your church offers. Said the latter, if your church doesn't have outreach programs, find another church.

walking by a Lutheran church: born dead in sin

I'm still slowly reading "This We Believe" (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/11/walking-by-lutheran-church-this-we.html) while taking notes and highlighting key parts of the text. In any event, I just found a little something that bothers me.

"5. We believe that Adam and Eve lost their divine image when they yielded to the temptation of Satan and disobeyed God's command. This brought upon them the judgment of God: "You will surely die" (Genesis 2:17). Since that time all people are conceived and born in a sinful condition (Psalm 51:5) and are inclined only to evil (Genesis 8:21). "Flesh gives birth to flesh" (John 3:6). Since all people are by nature dead in sin and separated from God (Ephesians 2:1), they are unable to reconcile themselves to God by their own efforts and deeds."
http://www.wels.net/what-we-believe/statements-beliefs/this-we-believe/creation-man-and-sin

There are two schools of though on this regard.

1. One says that we're born in sin and hence evil by default. Therefore we need to break out of our human nature and flesh. This seems to be Lutheran perspective. Even if my interpretation were dead wrong, I don't like the whole fire and brimstone gimmick (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/08/tough-sale-mean-business.html).
2. In the other hand, the other school of thought teaches us that we're good by nature (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/06/many-faces-flavors-recipes-for.html) and we need to escape sin to be back with God. This is more likely the Presbyterian point of view. After all, I believe and want to believe in a loving God, not a vengeful God (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-statement-of-faith-as-of-20100331-at.html). I just hope I'm not wrong.

As a disclaimer, I must emphasize that my opinion's no means a way or form of offense to anyone reading or not reading this or any text I've written.

walking by a Lutheran church: this we believe

As I mentioned before (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/11/walking-by-lutheran-church-no-930.html), I started reading "This We Believe" from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod website (http://www.wels.net/). I'm including two quotes that have made me think what it means to be a "true" Christian. Of course, I might be wrong.

Although I've heard the concept that the Old Testament predicted the coming of Jesus many times before, the words in the following quote made this concept clearer to understand and believe.

"5. We believe that the entire Bible is Christ-centered. In the Old Testament God repeatedly promised a divine deliverer from sin, death, and hell. The New Testament proclaims that this promised deliverer has come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus himself says of the Old Testament, 'These are the Scriptures that testify about me' (John 5:39)."
http://www.wels.net/what-we-believe/statements-beliefs/this-we-believe/gods-revelation

Maybe I'm desperate to understand and find God that I'm too naive to be eagerly attracted to any likable text (not saying that such text could be wrong, as of yet). I just fail to question my beliefs at times. I also fail to remember that people are imperfect and that human understanding and comprehension are painfully limited.

Then again I should point out that the following quote also from "This We Believe" makes lots of sense. We should keep in mind that some books referred to as the "true" or "best" interpretation of the Bible aren't quite the Word of God. Some of these translations could be biased or simply erroneously false willingly or not.

"11. We believe that the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament and the Greek text of the New Testament are the inspired Word of God. Translations of the Hebrew and Greek that accurately reflect the meaning of the original text convey God's truth to people and can properly be called the Word of God."
http://www.wels.net/what-we-believe/statements-beliefs/this-we-believe/gods-revelation?page=0,1

Of course, we should admit and understand that it's hard to say which Bible's truer or better than another (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-bible-vs-your-bible.html). For the time being, I keep jumping from NRSV to KJV to WEB.

In all, the WELS website's got lots of good information to understand and reaffirm what it means to be a Christian. Nonetheless my curiosity doesn't mean that I'm planing to change churches any time soon. If there's one thing that I've learned and that's changed me, it's been the opportunity to be a servant of God by serving others. This last concept -- heavily driven into our minds at FAPC -- seems to be the truer meaning of being a Christian, at least to me within my limited humanoid understanding.

walking by a Lutheran church: WELS?

I'm reading the "This We Believe" section of the WELS website. As I mentioned, I'm curious (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/11/walking-by-lutheran-church-no-930.html).

This we Believe - Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)
http://www.wels.net/what-we-believe/statements-beliefs/this-we-believe

small church, part-time pastor

Living in NYC, I've noticed that pastors of small churches (both small building and congregation) have a "common" day job to cover their day-to-day expenses -- instead of getting some sort of stipend from the church income (donations). Considering this fact, these small church pastors lead their flocks on a part-time basis regardless of their best intentions. In all, being a pastor in a small church is a true labor of love.

This is similar to on-line ministers or lay-persons involved in ministries in a larger church (commonly referred to as church leaders, not pastors, yet ministers of faith). I'm fortunate to know some of these ministers like my friend Henny who leads several small groups and is actually considering to become a seminarian (NY), my on-line friend Renee who works with young adults (CA) and even my cousin Marco who helps other members of the church where he goes to (NJ).

Maybe this is where I could come in as an ordained minister (ULC; http://www.themonastery.org/). Then again I might just be looking for an excuse for getting ordained on-line as a minister (pastor) two months ago. As a matter of fact, I still don't know how I can use this obligation I adopted.

walking by a Lutheran church: no 9:30 service

I finally stepped inside a Lutheran church I walk by now and then. I wanted to finally accept the invitation (two emails so far) of one of the pastors in the church whom I had met weeks ago (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/08/walking-by-lutheran-church.html). I thought their service was going to be at their usual 9:30am, but today it was scheduled at 10:30am. I opted to excuse myself and left since I had no intention to miss worship at FAPC. As I've mentioned several times, I've got no intention of quitting FAPC, which has become my spiritual home on this earth. My interest in the Lutheran Church is mere curiosity in the differences in practices and doctrines between PC(USA) (http://www.pcusa.org/) and WELS (http://www.wels.net/), which this Lutheran church is associated to.

raised Catholic, yet going to a Presbyterian church

Although I was born and raised Catholic, I try to avoid everything that might be related to Catholicism. I was never fond of celibacy and saints while growing up. I rather thought this was a weird part of "religion" (the word that we all used when referring to Catholicism and/or Christianity). I'd also see every day men leading service (mass) without a robe like priests do and I didn't understand this. At the time, I thought that a priest should wear a robe and other men had no right to lead a service. Understanding Catholicism was difficult and getting used to Protestantism has been another difficult task. Maybe this is why I go to a Presbyterian church, which is similar to the Catholic tradition (service structure, church structure, robes, etc) yet so different too (sermon, Eucharist, female pastors, prayer, etc). I really don't know if I made a good decision quitting the Catholic church, but at least I know that it's brought me closer to God.

the on-line church: Sword Project

Setting up a Unix (http://www.unix.org/) server can be a pain, but at least you know the server will work properly -- something that I can't say about other operating systems. Said this, I've trying to set up an Apache (http://www.apache.org/) web server running Sword (http://www.crosswire.org/sword/) with at least one Bible module. So far, I haven't had much success. I know I'm making a silly mistake, but I'm not sure where I'm messing up. Anyway I want to achieve this out of curiosity and maybe put it on-line for Bible study.

Wabbit

A dear friend of mine was nicknamed Wabbit from the Bugs Bunny cartoons while we worked at a broker firm about a decade ago. Since then its assets were sold and we were laid off (2001).

My friend Wabbit and I continue being good friends. She actually is the only friend whom I've got from that period of my life -- working at that company as a junior local area network (LAN) administrator.

Since we were laid off (a short ten-year span), she had to boys, separated, got married and had a beautiful baby girl. By the way, I always though she'd never get married or rather commit herself to a life-long relationship.

Now why am I mentioning my friend? Aside from being good friends in the good and bad times, she once mentioned that she was an ATHEIST although born and raised in a Roman Catholic family and traditions. She even told me not to ever talk to her about religion or faith. Nonetheless I made slight references regarding this forbidden topic once in a while. She had lots of patience with me.

About two weeks ago, she sent me a message saying that she had been thinking of me (oh boy, the horror). She told me then she had been looking at the PARISH to have her little girl BAPTIZED (great news). It seems that in the end, she had found her once-lost faith and I'm proud of her -- well after all her husband is an Irish Catholic.

Maybe I really had something to do with her change of heart. Then again she might have said this only to give me some credit and/or make me feel good about myself. Either way I'm proud my friend has seen the Light even if it were a clouded Light in her horizon.

why!?

It's become difficult to cultivate Christianity in my two younger children. I can't take them to church like other parents take their kids. I tried once. They got restless and even confused especially standing up and sitting down several during the service. My boys thought we were leaving when I stood up at the beginning of worship.

Why can't I take my children to church with me and have them by my side during worship? My nine-year-old with his medical condition was uncomfortable and actually had to eat during the service. I feel like I'm torturing them putting them in a situation that they're not familiar with.

Meanwhile some of the few people (friends and acquaintances) who know about my nine-year-old's health have shown some level of respect or consideration that I've gone to church every Sunday for over two straight years. Some even see this as a way to "save" their souls.

A pastor even called me this past Friday to check on me. She asked me about my nine-year-old's health. It was strange for me to get that call. After all she's practically a stranger and yet she's worried about my sick child. She even mentioned that she admired me for taking care of my sick little boy. After all, it's my obligation to care for him and I gladly do it.

the on-line church: #tworship

Last night I found people praising God on Twitter with hash tag #tworship. This was fairly different from other religious experiences. I even asked what #tworship is to make sure that I didn't misunderstand these group of people. These are my question and the response I received.

my question: Can anyone tell me what #tworship is (thanks)?

response: http://mcprodigal.prodigalreturns.com/tworship/ #jesustweeters

Some of these people used words like "brother" and "sister" when referring to another. Someone even said that he loved his on-line friends (perhaps real friends, yet doubtful). These words are rather hard for me to digest. I don't call anyone "brother" or "sister" except for my brother, my two sisters, at times my best friend of 25 years and two other good friends of mine (one for 35 and another for 23 years) have called me "brother" at times.

Nonetheless, what makes a church after all? It's supposed to be a building of worship and most importantly a group of people worshiping God. Understanding this concept, could an on-line service used as a forum be a church? Nowadays I guess so (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/08/on-line-church-cyber-christ.html).

Maybe on-line real-time worshiping could be the same as mass on TV was when I was growing up -- although one-directional. It tried to give the church experience on a two-dimensional boring format through a cheap TV broadcast. Of course, this might have been the only way some people could have "attended" church -- especially the sick, the handicapped or simply the home-bound.

In the other hand, watching The 700 Club (http://www.cbn.com/700club/) was a different feeling when I was a kid. It was praising and worshiping while shown facts and stories followed by prayer. This was and still is what I now understand as a ministry.

project 0.5952381%

Most of us (myself included too many times) are "real" Christians about an hour a week (1 in 168 hours). This means a mere 0.5952381% of the week if we go to church (http://project05952381.blogspot.com/2010/10/saturday-night.html). It's such a pitiful shame. Maybe this is often the reason why I stay more than hour at church on Sundays -- as a means to excuse my lack of faith and interest. Of course, I must admit that my mind wanders off many times during the hours I hang out at church, which defeats the purpose of being in church in the first place. From experience, spending extra hours in church during the week (for example, small groups, volunteering, etc) makes church and faith a much more rewarding experience.

dead in church

I'm clearly psychotic. I actually thought about jumping from a fifth floor window in church today. I even thought that it'd have been a cool thing to do. I was able to ignore the open window and continue with my day. Needless to say, I took my medications (not taken in 48 hours) as soon as I got to my apartment.